Archive for 'STORIES, FOLKLORE & HISTORY'
Explanation of Native American Spirituality
“The Indian loved to worship. From birth to death, he revered his surroundings. He considered himself born in the luxurious lap of Mother Earth, and no place was to him humble. There was nothing between him and the Big Holy (Wakan Tanka). The contact was immediate and personal, and the blessings of Wakan Tanka flowed over the Indian like rain showered from the sky. Wakan Tanka was not aloof, apart, and ever seeking to quell evil forces. He did not punish the animals and the birds, and likewise, he did not punish man. He was not a punishing god. For there was never a question as to the supremacy of an evil power over and above the power of Good. There was but one ruling power, and that was Good.”
-Chief Luther Standing Bear -
Teton Sioux, Born 1868
Origins of the Smoke Signal
By Grandmother Selma
A gentle……almost magical…..puff of smoke rises up toward the clouds and heavens, floating, suspended in space, lifting then gradually disappearing, being consumed by the earth surrounding it and the breath of the wind that carries it.
An ancient skill of communication and survival, one that is simplistic in design, yet, universal versatility. A skill of the Native American Indians, also of the ancient Chinese and presently used by the Boy Scouts of America.
The ” sending station” was a high location that would be visible from another high location. The individual sender laid flammable material ( logs etc. ) on a fire bed that was of controlled size and design. Many of these were referred to as ” fire bowls in earth Mother”.
For the most part the signals or code was pre-arranged between the sender and the receiver. There was no universal code for shapes, frequency or multiples of puffs.
To have established a “set” series of signals equating to consistent meaning would have allowed enemies to ” read” the communication as well.
” Fire bowls” have been located and studied on distinct hill tops and are saucer shaped depressions, round or square, five to eight feet across and lined with field stones.
The size, shape and depth of the ” fire bowl” was in direct relation to the amount and type of ” fuel” to burn to produce the needed smoke.
The stone lining aided in controlling the fire from escape and also provided ” props” or “braces” which poles could be laid across with either skins or blankets attached, allowing for control and manipulation of the smoke to produce “puffs” of visible shape and size.
Some of these ” fire bowls” or pits have been mapped and studied as they lay in close proximity to the ” Warrior Path” that ran between encampments of Shawnee near the Scioto River and Ohio River near Richmondale. This ridge and ” path” of location ranges from elevations of six hundred and nine hundred feet.
In general Smoke Signals could signal danger, warning, call the people to a common meeting area, and transmitting news. Smoke could be made to curl in spirals, ascend in puffs or circles, even parallel lines. Some signals resembled the letter V or Y and some were zigzag. There were a few overall accepted meanings ….. as three puffs in rapid succession usually indicated danger.
Amongst the Apache, the sighting of one puff quickly losing its geometric shape indicated that a strange party had been spotted approaching. If those ” puffs” were frequent and rapidly repeated, it transmitted the message that ” the stranger approaching” was in fact many in number and armed.
The burning of wood has always been symbolic of transformation. Changing one tangible form into another or others. In this case usually wood being transformed to new elements, ash, lye, smoke, heat and water vapor. Isn’t it somewhat amazing that indigenous peoples utilized one aspect of this transformation of the smoke to communicate amongst the people even over long distance?
When the sender ” released” the message the receiver would then often times, become the new sender to another receiver, often many times over.
Therefore, in this fashion the information could be transmitted over vast geographic areas with accuracy.
Smoke Signals became Indian telegraphy.
Resource: Diary of A Visit of Inspection of the Texas Missions made by : Fray Gaspar Jose de Solis, year 1767-1768 translated by Margaret K. Kress with introduction by Mattie A. Hatcher, Southwestern Historical Quarterly. Vol.35.no.1., July 1931
NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY & CULTURE
Thsi page has Native American timelimes, documents, treaties, etc.
It also has information that is important and impacting to Native Americans.
It contains many good links to other Native American themed websites, including Native American art, history and poetry
check it out here: http://www.teacheroz.com/Native_Americans.htm
Native American Ceremonies
Ceremony plays a vital, essential role in Native American religions. Whereas western religions typically consider ceremony the servant of theology, Native American religions barely recognize the distinction between myth and ritual.Often the ritual proves to be established and secure while the myth is vague and unclear. Indian ceremonies grew up within local groups; some elements of Indian ceremonials have been traced back to the Old World. The ceremonies were adapted locally, using both traditional and borrowed elements, to suit local needs. These ceremonies often began as practical actions.
Indians were eager to embrace ceremonies or portions of ceremonies that provided power to conquer the difficulties of life. As these practices developed, they were modified and imbued with additional meanings and purposes.
Apache:
- Ceremonial Dances
- Rain Dance
- Good Crop Dance
- Harvest Dance
- Spirit Dance
- Life Cycle Rites
- Na’ii’es - Sunrise Ceremony (Female Puberty Rite)
- The most important and frequent community ceremony. It normally takes place in the summer months of the year after a girl’s first menstruation.
- First Steps Rite
Cherokee:
Diegueño Indians (California)
- Ceremonial Dances
- Awikunchi - A fair weather making ceremonial dance and song.
Lakota:
- The Seven Sacred Rites
- The Sweat Lodge
- The Vision Quest
- Ghost Keeping
- The Sun Dance
- Making Relatives
- Puberty Ceremony
- Throwing the Ball
Life Cycle Rites
Life Renewal Rites
CLICK HERE FOR Native American Religions
Gods, Goddesses, Religions & Beliefs of the Native Americans
Native Beliefs share some common tendencies. Religion tends to be closely related to the natural world. The local terrain is elevated with supernatural meaning, and natural objects are imbued with sacred presences. Ceremonial rituals involving these supernatural-natural objects are meant to ensure communal and individual prosperity. These common underlying features unite a diversity of contemporary Native American sects.
Various
Various
Various (Northwest Coast tribes)
Various (Plains tribes)
Acoma (Southwestern US)
Ahta (Western Canada)
Aleut (Alaska)
Algonquin (Central Canada and Northeastern US)
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Chebbeniathan - Supreme being and sky god
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Gitche Manitou - The great spirit who made the world
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Glooskap - Creator of the sun, moon, plants, animals, and people
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Kiehton - Great spirit and creator
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Manibozho - Creator of the earth and of mortals
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Michabo - Creator god
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Nokomis - Goddess of the earth
Apache (Southwestern US)
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gaan (Ganhs) - Mountain Spirits
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? -The White Painted Woman
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? -Child of the Water
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Naiyenesgani - Role:Creator god
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Tlehanoai - ??
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Tobadzistsini - God of war
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Apache (Jicarilla) - Yi-na-yes-gon-i - Supreme god
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Apache (Mescalero) - Yusan - God of the beginning and creator god
Six separate Apache tribes ranged over the American southwest. Their religion centered on the conception of a supernatural power that manifested itself in almost every facet of the Apache world. They believe that they can develop a healthy and cooperative relationship with this power. The power is believed to offer its services to the Apache through visionary experiences. In shamanistic ceremonies, the practitioner interacts with his particular power alone. But other rituals require a priest to officiate. Both shamanistic and priestly rituals are patterned. Four is the sacred number; songs and prayers occurred in quartets. The ceremonial circuit moves clockwise. And rites last four successive nights. The Apache perform life-cycle rites, including the rite for a child who takes his first steps and a girl’s puberty rite.
Arikara (Plains of US)
Assiniboin (Northern plains of US)
Athapascan (Northwestern US)
Aztec (Central Mexico - Ancient Civilization)
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Camaxtli - God of war and one of four creator gods
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Centeotl - Corn god
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Chalchuiuhtlicue - Goddess of the East, sea, and running water and 1 of 13 lords of the day
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Chalmecatecuhtli - God of sacrifice and 1 of 13 lords of the day
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Chantico - Goddess of hearth fires and volcanoes
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Chicomecoatl - Goddess of maize
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Cihuacoatl - Earth goddess
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Cinteotl - Corn goddess and 1 of 13 lords of the day
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Citlalincue - Goddess of the heavens and 1 of 13 lords of the day
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Coatlicue - Mother and earth goddess
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Coyolxauhqui - Goddess of the moon
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Ehecatl - God of the wind
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Huehuecoyotl - God of mischief-making
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Huehueteotl - Fire god
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Huitzilopochtli - God of war
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Huixtocihuatl - Goddess of salt
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Ixcuina - Goddess of carnality, prostitutes, and adulterers
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Ixtlilton - God of healing, feasting, and games
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Macuilxochitl - God of music and dance
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Mayahuel - Goddess of the maguey plant
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Metztli - Goddess of moon, love, marriage, and childbirth
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Mictlantecuhtli - God of the dead and 1 of 13 lords of the day
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Mixcoatl - Star god and god of the hunt
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Nanahuatzin - Father of the sun and god of corage and bravery
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Ometecutli - God of fire
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Ometéotl - Supreme god
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Patecatl - God of medicine
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Paynal - The messenger to Huitzilopochtli
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Tacatecutli - God of merchants and adventurers
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Teccuciztecatl - God of the moon
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Teoyaomqui - God of dead warriors
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Tezcatlipoca - Supreme god; god of rulers, of the north, of cold, and of darkness; and god of pleasure and sin
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Tlaloc - God of rain, of agriculture, of fire, and of the south; and 1 of 13 lords of the day
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Tlaltecuhtli - 1 of 13 lords of the day
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Tlazoltéotl - Goddess of purification and of love; and 1 of 13 lords of - Tloquenahuaque - The unknown god
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Tochtli - God of the south
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Toci - Mother of the gods
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Toci - Mother goddess of the the earth and of curing
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Tonacacihuatl - Mother of the gods
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Tonacatecuhtli - The creator and the provider of food
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Tonacatecuhtli - Creator and food provider
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Tonantzin - The mother-goddess
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Tonatiuh - God of the sun and of warriors; and 1 of 13 lords of the day
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Ueuecoytl (Coyote) - God of fecundity
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Uixtochihuatl - Goddess of salt
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Xilonen - Goddess of young maize and a wife of Tezcatlipoca
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Xiuhtecuhtli - God of fire and time; and 1 of 13 lords of the day
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Xochiquetzal - Goddess of flowers, of fruit, and of music; and of female sexual power
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Xoloth - God of monsters, of magicians, of twins, of double ears, of maize
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Yacatecuhtli - God of merchant adventurers
Bella Coola (Western Canada)
Blackfoot (Canadian prairies)
Caddo (Southern plains of US)
Cahroc (Southwestern US)
Cahuilla (Southwestern US)
Carrier (Western Canada)
Chemehuevis
Cherokee (Southeastern US)
Cheyenne (Northern plains of US)
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Heammawihio - The great spirit
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Maheo - Supreme god or great spirit and creator
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Maiyun - The great spirit
Chickasaw (Southeastern US)
Chinook (Northwestern US)
Chipewyan (Central Canada and Canadian prairies)
Chitimacha (Southeastern US)
Choctaw (Southeastern US)
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Aba - The great spirit
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Esaugetuh Emisse - Pre-existent supreme god
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Nanih Waiya - Creator god
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Shahli Milo - God of fire
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Shilup Chito Osh - Great spirit
Coeur d’Alene (Northwestern US)
Cree (Central Canada and Canadian prairies)
Creek (Southeastern US)
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Esaugetuh Emisse - Pre-existent supreme god
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Hisakitaimisi - Supreme god
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Ibofanga - Supreme god and creator
Crow (Northern plains of US)
Cupeño (Southwestern US)
Dakota (Northern plains of US)
Delaware (Northeastern US)
Déné (Western Canada)
Diegueño (Southwestern US)
Durango (Southwestern US)
Eskimo / Inuit (Northern Canada and Alaska)
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Aipaloovik - Evil sea-living god who attacked marines
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Akna - Goddess of childbirth
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Alignak - God of the moon and protector of orphans, animals, and the disinherited
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Anguta - Supreme god
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Asiaq - Goddess of the weather
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Ataksak - Sky god and god of joy
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Aulanerk - Friendly god who lived in the sea and brought men joy
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Issitoq - The god who seeks out those who break the rules
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Nigsillik - Sky god
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Nujalik - Goddess of the land-hunt
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Oluksak - God of lakes
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Pinga - Goddess who guards souls of the living, guardian of the game, and healer of the sick
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Pukkeenegak - Goddess of clothes-making and childbirth
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Sedna - Goddess of the creatures of the sea
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Sequinet - God of the sun
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Sila - God of energy, air, movement, and curing
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Tekkeitaertok - God of the earth
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Toodlayoeetok - Sky god
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Tootega - Goddess who could walk on top of the water
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Torngasoak - The good being god
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Tulangusaq - God of creation
Flathead (Northwestern US)
Fox (Midwest US)
Gabrielino (Southwestern US)
Gros Ventres (Northern plains of US)
Haida (Western Canada)
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Komokwa - Sea god
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Nekilstlas - Creator god, always existent
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Sins-sganagwai - Supreme, omniscient god
Hopi (Southwestern US)
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Ahul - Sky god
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Cotokinunwu - Sky god
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Huruing Wuhti - Two creator gods
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Mosau’u - God of death, the underworld, and fire
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Muyinwu - Sky god
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Pautiwa - Sky god
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Ragno - Old mother goddess
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Shotokunungwa - God of sky, lightning, war, the hunt, and fertility
Huchnon (Western North America)
Taikomol - Creator god
Hupa (Southwestern US)
Huron (Central Canada)
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Ahone - Creator god
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Airsekui - The great spirit
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Ataensic - Sky woman and mother earth
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Hamedicu - Supreme god
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Heng - Thunder god
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Ioskeha - Creator god
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Ondoutaete - God of war
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Taweskare - Malicious creator god
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Tsenta - Creator god
Iowa (Northern plains of US)
Iroquois (Northeastern US)
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Ataensic - Sky woman and mother earth
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Eithinoha - Earth goddess
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Ga-Oh - God of the winds
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Gendenwitha - Goddess of the morning star
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Ha Wen Neyu - The great spirit
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Hahgwehdiyu - A creator god
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Hawgwehdaetgah - A creator god
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Hino - God of the sky
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Hodianokdoo Hediohe - Omnipotent and incomprehensible creator god
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Ioskeha - Creator god
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Neo - Supreme god
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Oki - God of oaths and agreements
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Onatha - Goddess of wheat
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Sky-holder - Creator
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Sone-yah-tis-sa-ye - Great spirit and creator of the Indians
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Taweskare - Malicious creator god
Joshua (Northwestern US)
Juaneño (Southwestern US)
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Tukma - Creator god
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Wiyot - Creator god
Kato (Southwestern US)
Klallam (Northwestern US and Western Canada)
Kwatiutl (Western Canada)
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Kané - ??
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Komokwa - Sea god
Lakota (Northern plains of US)
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Hu Nonp - God of wisdom
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Mahpiyato - Sky god, judge over all, and god of wisdom and power
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Skan - Omnipotent, omnipresent great spirit
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Wakan Tanka - Creator god and great spirit
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Yum - God of love and pleasures
The Lakota were the “typical” nomadic, equestrian Plains Indians who lived in tipis and hunted buffalo. They were notable, historically, for destroying Custer’s forces at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. Their religious system is dominated by cosmology and the appeasement of supernaturals to ensure successful buffalo hunts. The “Seven Sacred Rites” forms the basis of Lakota religion. These seven rites incude: The Sweat Lodge, The Vision Quest, Ghost Keeping, The Sun Dance, Making Relatives, Puberty Ceremony, and Throwing the Ball. The seven rites have endured in contemporary worship, except for the Throwing the Ball ceremony. A practice known as Yuwipi has become prominent in this century. Yuwipi unites concepts of buffalo hunting culture and contemporary reservation life.
Lenape (Northeastern US)
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Gicelemuhkaong - Great spirit and creator
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Kaunzhe Pah-tum-owans - Great spirit and creator of the Indians
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Pahtumawas - Great spirit
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Welsit Manatu - Creator of all things in the world
Mahikan (Northeastern US)
Maidu (Southwestern US)
Mandan (Northern plains of US)
Menominee (Midwest US)
Micmac (Eastern Canada)
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Naguset - Creator god
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Nishkam - Great spirit
Modoc (Southwestern US)
Mohawk (Northeastern US)
Mojave (Southwestern US)
Montagnais (Eastern Canada)
Narragansett (Northeastern US)
Naskapi (Eastern Canada)
Navajo (Southwestern US)
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Estsanatlehi - Chief goddess
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Hastsehogan - House god
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Hastseltsi - God of racing
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Hastsezini - Fire god
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Iyatiku - Mother of humans and corn goddess
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Nayenezgani - God of war
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Nltci - God of wind instruments and wind
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Tlehanoai - ??
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Tobadzistsini - God of war
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Tonenili - Rain god
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Tsohanoai - Sun god and creator
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Yei - Creator gods
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Yolkai Estan - Sea goddess
Nisqually (Northwestern US)
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Dokibatt - Creator god
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Shuksiab - Supreme god
Nootka (Northwestern US, Western Canada)
Olmec (Ancient Civilization)
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Jaguar -Principal God, Earth God, Rain God, Fertility God
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Oglala (Northern plains of US)
Ojibwa (Central Canada)
Okanagan (Northwestern US)
Onandaga (Northeastern US)
Ottawa (Central Canada)
Papago (Southwestern US)
Pawnee (Southern plains of US)
Penobscot (Northeastern US)
Pericu (Southwestern US)
Piute (Southwestern US)
Pomo (Southwestern US)
Powhatan (Southeastern US)
Pueblo (Southwestern US)
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Bitsis Lizin - God of fire
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Iyatiku - Mother of humans and corn goddess
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Kokopelli - God of fertility
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Oshats - Sky god
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Sitchtchenako - Creator god
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Tinami - God of the heavens
Salishan (Northwestern US)
Selish (Northwestern US)
Seminole (Southeastern US)
Shawnee (Southern plains of US)
Sinkyone (Southwestern US)
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Kyoi - Creator god
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Nagaitco - Creator god
Sioux (Northern plains of US)
Tahltan (Western Canada)
Takelma (Northwestern US)
Teton (Northern plains of US)
Tlingit (Alaska)
Tolowa (Northwestern US)
Tsimshian (Western Canada)
Twana (Northwestern US)
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Dokibatt - Creator god
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Wisoulus - Supreme being
Ute (Southwestern US)
Wichita (Southern plains of US)
Winnebago (Midwest US)
Wintun (Southwestern US)
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Hawt - God of music, flute, water
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Kahit - Wind god
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Mem Loimis - Goddess of waters
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Olelbis - Chief god
Wishosk (Southwestern US)
Witotoana (Southwestern US)
Wiyot (Southwestern US)
Yahi (Southwestern US)
Yakima (Northern plains of US)
Yavapai (Southwestern US)
Yoruk (Southwestern US)
Yuki (Western North America)
Yuma (Southwestern US)
Zuni (Southwestern US)
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Apoyan Tachu - Sky father
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Awonawilona - Creator and supreme god
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Pautiwa - God of ceremonials
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Poshaiyanki - God of riches
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Shiwanni - Creator god
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Shiwoka - Creator goddess
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Shulawitsi - God of fire, maize, and hunting
CLICK HERE FOR NATIVE CEREMONIES
~ The Last Warrior ~
High on bleak, stony rag,
Unmoving, he sits astride
His ragged coated pony.
Only telltale frozen breaths,
Separate them from
The still, winter black boles
Of ancient leafless trees.
The pony, blown and lame,
Stands with lowered head,
Ears flattened to the sound
Of a distant wolf pack.
The man on his back,
All weapons lost,
Ignores the trickling blood
From savage wounds,
Mingling his war paint.
Eyes burning fiercely
He strains to find
The sign he seeks:
Behind, the sound of enemy
Draws ever closer.
At last, faith rewarded,
He sees far below
In the deep valley,
Arriving at the edge
Of the fast flowing river,
The great she bear
With two gamboling cubs:
To fish the racing salmon,
Drawn relentlessly toward
Their age-old spawning ground.
Silently, the wounded brave
Offers his final prayer
To the eternal clan bear;
Totem and guardian
Of his battle slain tribe.
The enemy, exultant,
Are almost upon him,
Yet he looks not behind:
He sees only the Great Spirit,
Surrounding him kindly
In loving, firm embrace.
While the enemy closes in,
He straightens himself;
His voice rings loud and clear,
Echoing across the land
To the distant cloudless sky.
One last defiant war cry
As he spurs on his pony,
And leaps…
Into the world of his ancestors.
W.J. Bruce
Often, around the fire in the long house of the Iroquois, during the Moon of the Long Nights, this tale is told.
Three Arrows was a boy of the Mohawk tribe. Although he had not yet seen fourteen winters he was already known among the Iroquois for his skill and daring. His arrows sped true to their mark. His name was given him when with three bone-tipped arrows he brought down three flying wild geese from the same flock. He could travel in the forest as softly as the south wind and he was a skillful hunter, but he never killed a bird or animal unless his clan needed food. He was well-versed in woodcraft, fleet of foot, and a clever wrestler. His people said, ‘Soon he will be a chief like his father.’
The sun shone strong in the heart of Three Arrows, because soon he would have to meet the test of strength and endurance through which the boys of his clan attained manhood. He had no fear of the outcome of the dream fast which was so soon to take. (to fast means to go without food or water)
Three Arrow’s father was a great chief and a good man, and the boy’s life had been patterned after that of his father.
When the grass was knee-high, Three Arrows left his village with his father. They climbed to a sacred place in the mountains. They found a narrow cave at the back of a little plateau. Here Three Arrows decided to live for his few days of prayer and vigil. He was not permitted to eat anything during the days and nights of his dream fast. He had no weapons, and his only clothing was a breechclout and moccasins. His father left the boy with the promise that he would visit him each day that the ceremony lasted, at dawn.
Three Arrows prayed to the Great Spirit. He begged that his clan spirit would soon appear in a dream and tell him what his guardian animal or bird was to be. When he knew this, he would adopt that bird or animal as his special guardian for the rest of his life. When the dream came he would be free to return to his people, his dream fast successfully achieved.
For five suns Three Arrows spent his days and nights on the rocky plateau, only climbing down to the little spring for water after each sunset. His heart was filled with a dark cloud because that morning his father had sadly warned him that the next day, the sixth sun, he must return to his village even if no dream had come to him in the night. This meant returning to his people in disgrace without the chance of taking another dream fast.
That night Tree Arrows, weak from hunger and weary from ceaseless watch, cried out to the Great Mystery. ‘O Great Spirit, have pity on him who stands humbly before Thee. Let his clan spirit or a sign from beyond the thunderbird come to him before tomorrow’s sunrise, if it be Thy will.’
As he prayed, the wind suddenly veered from east too north. This cheered Three Arrows because the wind was now the wind of the great bear, and the bear was the totem of his clan. When he entered the cavern he smelled for the first time the unmistakable odour of a bear. This was strong medicine.
He crouched at the opening of the cave, too excited to lie down although his tire body craved rest. As he gazed out into the night he heard the rumble of thunder, saw the lightning flash, and felt the fierce breath of the wind from the north. Suddenly a vision came to him, and a gigantic bear stood beside him in the cave. Then Three Arrows heard it say, ‘Listen well, Mohawk. Your clan spirit has heard your prayer. Tonight you will learn a great mystery which will bring help and gladness to all your people.’
A terrible clash of thunder brought the dazed boy to his feet as the bear disappeared. He looked from the cave just as a streak of lightning flashed across the sky in the form of a blazing arrow. Was this the sign from the thunderbird ?
Suddenly the air was filled with a fearful sound. A shrill shrieking came from the ledge just above the cave. It sounded as though mountain lions fought in the storm; yet Three Arrows felt no fear as he climbed toward the ledge. As his keen eyes grew accustomed to the dim light he saw that the force of the wind was causing two young balsam trees to rub violently against each other. The strange noise was caused by friction, and as he listened and watched fear filled his heart, for, from where the two trees rubbed together a flash of lightning show smoke. Fascinated, he watched until flickers of flames followed the smoke.
Three Arrows had never seen fire of any kind at close range nor had any of his people. He scrambled down to the cave and covered his eyes in dread of this strange magic. Then he smelt bear again and he thought of his vision, his clan spirit, the bear, and its message. This was the mystery which he was to reveal to his people. The blazing arrow in the sky was to be his totem, and his new name - Blazing Arrow.
At daybreak, Blazing Arrow climbed onto the ledge and broke two dried sticks from what remained of one of the balsams. He rubbed them violently together, but nothing happened. ‘The magic is too powerful for me,’ he thought.
Then a picture of his clan and village formed in his mind, and he patiently rubbed the hot sticks together again. His will power took the place of his tired muscles. Soon a little wisp of smoke greeted his renewed efforts, then came a bright spark on one of the stick. Blazing Arrow waved it as he had seen the fiery arrow wave in the night sky. A resinous blister on the stick glowed, then flamed.
Fire had come to the Six Nations!
As Told By Glenn Welker
Long, long ago, the Hopis were greatly troubled by the wind. It blew and blew and blew and blew–all the time. The Hopis planted their crops, but before the seeds could begin to sprout, the wind blew the soil and seeds away. Unhappy and worried, all the people made prayer offerings of many kinds. But they accomplished nothing.
The old men held councils in their kivas. They smoked their pipes prayerfully and asked one another, “Why do the gods turn such strong winds upon us?” After a while, they decided to ask for help from the “Little Fellows” who were the two little War Gods, two of the five grandsons of Spider Woman.
“Why did you ask us to come?” was their first question.
“We need your help,” answered the old men. “Something must be done to the Wind.”
“We will see what we can do for you,” said the Little Fellows. “You stay here and make many more prayer offerings.”
The Hopis make many kinds of prayer offerings–as many as there are prayers, and there are prayers for every occasion in life and death. They are reverently fashioned of various types of feathers, carved and painted sticks, and hand-spun cotton yarn.
The Little Fellows went first to their wise old grandmother, Spider Woman. They asked her to make some sweet cornmeal mush for them to take along on a journey. Of course they knew who the Wind God was and knew that he lived over near Sunset Mountain in the big crack of the black rock.
When Spider Woman had the cornmeal mush ready, the Little Fellows came back to the kiva where the men were holding their council. The prayer offerings were ready and also the ball that the Little Fellows like to take with them wherever they went. They liked to play catch with it.
The men made bows and arrows for them to take on their journey which seemed much like going on a war party. The arrows were tipped with bluebird feathers, thought to be more powerful than any other kinds of feathers.
The two Little Fellows started toward the San Francisco Peaks. The old men went along until they reached the Little Colorado River, and there they sat down and smoked their pipes. The smoking of tobacco among the Hopis, as among many other tribes, is strictly ceremonial. The sacred smoke carried the prayers of the Hopis to their Gods.
Continuing their journey, the two Little Fellows played catch- ball from time to time. On the fourth day they reached the home of the Wind God who lived at the foot of Sunset Crater, in a big crack in the black rock. There he breathed through the crack, as he does to this day. The Little Fellows threw the prayer offerings into the crack and hastily put their old grandmother’s sticky cornmeal mush into and over the crack, and thus sealed the Wind God’s door. Phew–he became very angry, so angry that he blew and blew and blew, but could not get out. The Little Fellows laughed and laughed and then went home, feeling very proud of themselves and of what they had done.
But after a while, the people in the villages began to feel very hot. Every day the weather became hotter and hotter. People came out of their homes and stood on housetops to look toward the San Francisco Peaks, to see if any clouds were coming their way. But they did not see even a wisp of a cloud, and they seemed not to feel a breath of air. They thought they would suffocate.
“We must do something right away,” everyone said or thought. So the men made some more prayer offerings and called the two Little Fellows again. “Please go back to the House of the Wind God at once and tell him that there must be peace between us. Then give him these prayer offerings and let him out. This heat is much worse than the wind.”
The Little Fellows replied, “We will go and see what we can do with the Wind God to make life more comfortable for you.”
After four days, they arrived at the House of Yaponcha–the House of the Wind God. The Little Fellows decided that the wisest thing to do would be to let the Wind God have a small hole open–just enough to let him breathe through but not enough for him to come out of the crack in the black rock.
So they took a little of the cornmeal mush out of the crack. Immediately, a nice cool breeze came out and a small white cloud appeared. It floated over across the desert toward the Hopi villages.
When the Little Fellows reached home, everyone was pleased. The Hopis have been grateful to the Little Fellows ever since. The winds have been perfect–just strong enough to keep the people happy but not strong enough to blow everything away.
Every since then, every year in the windy month of March, the chiefs and the high priests of the three villages on the Second Mesa give prayer offerings to the Wind God, Yaponcha.
Long, long ago, animals and trees talked with each other, but there was no fire at that time.Fox was most clever and he tried to think of a way to create fire for the world. One day, he decided to visit the Geese, te-tl, whose cry he wished to learn how to imitate. They promised to teach him if he would fly with them. So they contrived a way to attach wings to Fox, but cautioned him never to open his eyes while flying.
Whenever the Geese arose in flight, Fox also flew along with them to practice their cry. On one such adventure, darkness descended suddenly as they flew over the village of the fireflies, ko-na- tcic-a. In midflight, the glare from the flickering fireflies caused Fox to forget and he opened his eyes–instantly his wings collapsed! His fall was uncontrollable. He landed within the walled area of the firefly village, where a fire constantly burned in the centre.
Two kind fireflies came to see fallen Fox, who gave each one a necklace of juniper berries, katl-te-i-tse.
Fox hoped to persuade the two fireflies to tell him where he could find a way over the wall to the outside. They led him to a cedar tree, which they explained would bend down upon command and catapult him over the wall if he so desired.
That evening, Fox found the spring where fireflies obtained their water. There also, he discovered coloured earth, which when mixed with water made paint. He decided to give himself a coat of white. Upon returning to the village, Fox suggested to the fireflies, “Let’s have a festival where we can dance and I will produce the music.”
They all agreed that would be fun and helped to gather wood to build up a greater fire. Secretly, Fox tied a piece of cedar bark to his tail. Then he made a drum, probably the first one ever constructed, and beat it vigorously with a stick for the dancing fireflies. Gradually, he moved closer and closer to the fire.
Fox pretended to tire from beating the drum. He gave it to some fireflies who wanted to help make the music. Fox quickly thrust his tail into the fire, lighting the bark, and exclaimed, “It is too warm here for me, I must find a cooler place.”
Straight to the cedar tree Fox ran, calling, “Bend down to me, my cedar tree, bend down!”
Down bent the cedar tree for Fox to catch hold, then up it carried him far over the wall. On and on he ran, with the fireflies in pursuit.
As Fox ran along, brush and wood on either side of his path were ignited from the sparks dropping from the burning bark tied to his tail.
Fox finally tired and gave the burning bark to Hawk, i-tsarl-tsu- i, who carried it to brown Crane, tsi-nes-tso-l. He flew far southward, scattering fire sparks everywhere. This is how fire first spread over the earth.
Fireflies continued chasing Fox all the way to his burrow and declared, “Forever after, Wily Fox, your punishment for stealing our fire will be that you can never make use of it for yourself.”
For the Apache nation, this too was the beginning of fire for them. Soon they learned to use it for cooking their food and to keep themselves warm in cold weather.
Apache, The Story of Creation
In the beginning nothing existed–no earth, no sky, no sun, no moon, only darkness was everywhere.
Suddenly from the darkness emerged a thin disc, one side yellow and the other side white, appearing suspended in midair. Within the disc sat a small bearded man, Creator, the One Who Lives Above. As if waking from a long nap, he rubbed his eyes and face with both hands.
When he looked into the endless darkness, light appeared above. He looked down and it became a sea of light. To the east, he created yellow streaks of dawn. To the west, tints of many colours appeared everywhere. There were also clouds of different colours.
Creator wiped his sweating face and rubbed his hands together, thrusting them downward. Behold! A shining cloud upon which sat a little girl.
“Stand up and tell me where are you going,” said Creator. But she did not reply. He rubbed his eyes again and offered his right hand to the Girl-Without-Parents.
“Where did you come from?” she asked, grasping his hand.
“From the east where it is now light,” he replied, stepping upon her cloud.
“Where is the earth?” she asked.
“Where is the sky?” he asked, and sang, “I am thinking, thinking, thinking what I shall create next.” He sang four times, which was the magic number.
Creator brushed his face with his hands, rubbed them together, then flung them wide open! Before them stood Sun-God. Again Creator rubbed his sweaty brow and from his hands dropped Small- Boy.
All four gods sat in deep thought upon the small cloud.
“What shall we make next?” asked Creator. “This cloud is much too small for us to live upon.”
Then he created Tarantula, Big Dipper, Wind, Lightning-Maker, and some western clouds in which to house Lightning-Rumbler, which he just finished.
Creator sang, “Let us make earth. I am thinking of the earth, earth, earth; I am thinking of the earth,” he sang four times.
All four gods shook hands. In doing so, their sweat mixed together and Creator rubbed his palms, from which fell a small round, brown ball, not much larger than a bean.
Creator kicked it, and it expanded. Girl-Without-Parents kicked the ball, and it enlarged more. Sun-God and Small-Boy took turns giving it hard kicks, and each time the ball expanded. Creator told Wind to go inside the ball and to blow it up.
Tarantula spun a black cord and, attaching it to the ball, crawled away fast to the east, pulling on the cord with all his strength. Tarantula repeated with a blue cord to the south, a yellow cord to the west, and a white cord to the north. With mighty pulls in each direction, the brown ball stretched to immeasurable size–it became the earth! No hills, mountains, or rivers were visible; only smooth, treeless, brown plains appeared.
Creator scratched his chest and rubbed his fingers together and there appeared Hummingbird.
“Fly north, south, east, and west and tell us what you see,” said Creator.
“All is well,” reported Hummingbird upon his return. “The earth is most beautiful, with water on the west side.”
But the earth kept rolling and dancing up and down. So Creator made four giant posts–black, blue, yellow, and white to support the earth. Wind carried the four posts, placing them beneath the four cardinal points of the earth. The earth sat still.
Creator sang, “World is now made and now sits still,” which he repeated four times.
Then he began a song about the sky. None existed, but he thought there should be one. After singing about it four times, twenty- eight people appeared to help make a sky above the earth. Creator chanted about making chiefs for the earth and sky.
He sent Lightning-Maker to encircle the world, and he returned with three uncouth creatures, two girls and a boy found in a turquoise shell. They had no eyes, ears, hair, mouths, noses, or teeth. They had arms and legs, but no fingers or toes.
Sun-God sent for Fly to come and build a sweathouse. Girl- Without-Parents covered it with four heavy clouds. In front of the east doorway she placed a soft, red cloud for a foot-blanket to be used after the sweat.
Four stones were heated by the fire inside the sweathouse. The three uncouth creatures were placed inside. The others sang songs of healing on the outside, until it was time for the sweat to be finished. Out came the three strangers who stood upon the magic red cloud-blanket. Creator then shook his hands toward them, giving each one fingers, toes, mouths, eyes, ears, noses and hair.
Creator named the boy, Sky-Boy, to be chief of the Sky-People. One girl he named Earth-Daughter, to take charge of the earth and its crops. The other girl he named Pollen-Girl, and gave her charge of health care for all Earth-People.
Since the earth was flat and barren, Creator thought it fun to create animals, birds, trees, and a hill. He sent Pigeon to see how the world looked. Four days later, he returned and reported, “All is beautiful around the world. But four days from now, the water on the other side of the earth will rise and cause a mighty flood.”
Creator made a very tall pinon tree. Girl-Without-Parents covered the tree framework with pinon gum, creating a large, tight ball.
In four days, the flood occurred. Creator went up on a cloud, taking his twenty-eight helpers with him. Girl-Without-Parents put the others into the large, hollow ball, closing it tight at the top.
In twelve days, the water receded, leaving the float-ball high on a hilltop. The rushing floodwater changed the plains into mountains, hills, valleys, and rivers. Girl-Without-Parents led the gods out from the float-ball onto the new earth. She took them upon her cloud, drifting upward until they met Creator with his helpers, who had completed their work making the sky during the flood time on earth.
Together the two clouds descended to a valley below. There, Girl- Without-Parents gathered everyone together to listen to Creator.
“I am planning to leave you,” he said. “I wish each of you to do your best toward making a perfect, happy world.
“You, Lightning-Rumbler, shall have charge of clouds and water.
“You, Sky-Boy, look after all Sky-People.
“You, Earth-Daughter, take charge of all crops and Earth-People.
“You, Pollen-Girl, care for their health and guide them.
“You, Girl-Without-Parents, I leave you in charge over all.”
Creator then turned toward Girl-Without-Parents and together they rubbed their legs with their hands and quickly cast them forcefully downward. Immediately between them arose a great pile of wood, over which Creator waved a hand, creating fire.
Great billowy clouds of smoke at once drifted skyward. Into this cloud, Creator disappeared. The other gods followed him in other clouds of smoke, leaving the twenty-eight workers to people the earth.
Sun-God went east to live and travel with the Sun. Girl-Without- Parents departed westward to live on the far horizon. Small-Boy and Pollen-Girl made cloud homes in the south. Big Dipper can still be seen in the northern sky at night, a reliable guide to all.
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Traditional Blackfoot story of How the Buffalo Dance was given to the people.
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When the buffalo first came to be upon the land, they were not friendly to the people. When the hunters tried to coax them over the cliffs for the good of the villages, they were reluctant to offer themselves up. They did not relish being turned into blankets and dried flesh for winter rations. They did not want their hooves and horn to become tools and utinsels nor did they welcome their sinew being used for sewing. “No, no,” they said. We won’t fall into your traps. And we will not fall for your tricks.” So when the hunters guided them towards the abyss, they would always turn aside at the very last moment. With this lack of cooperation, it seemed the villagers would be hungry and cold and ragged all winter long.
Now one of the hunters’ had a daughter who was very proud of her father’s skill with the bow. During the fullness of summer, he always brought her the best of hides to dress, and she in turn would work the deerskins into the softest, whitest of garments for him to wear. Her own dresses were like the down of a snow goose, and the moccasins she made for the children and the grandmothers in the village were the most welcome of gifts.
But now with the hint of snow on the wind, and deer becoming more scarce in the willow breaks, she could see this reluctance on the part of the buffalo families could become a real problem.
Hunter’s Daughter decided she would do something about it.
She went to the base of the cliff and looked up. She began to sing in a low, soft voice, “Oh, buffalo family, come down and visit me. If you come down and feed my relatives in a wedding feast, I will join your family as the bride of your strongest warrior.”
She stopped and listened. She thought she heard the slight rumbling sound of thunder in the distance.
Again she sang, “Oh, buffalo family, come down and visit me. Feed my family in a wedding feast so that I may be a bride.”
The thunder was much louder now. Suddenly the buffalo family began falling from the sky at her feet.
One very large bull landed on top of the others, and walked across the backs of his relatives to stand before Hunter’s Daughter.
“I am here to claim you as my bride,” said Large Buffalo.
“Oh, but now I am afraid to go with you,” said Hunter’s Daughter.
“Ah, but you must,” said Large Buffalo, “For my people have come to provide your people with a wedding feast. As you can see, they have offered themselves up.”
“Yes, but I must run and tell my relatives the good news,” said Hunter’s Daughter. “No,” said Large Buffalo. No word need be sent. You are not getting away so easily.”
And with that said, Large Buffalo lifted her between his horns and carried her off to his village in the rolling grass hills.
The next morning the whole village was out looking for Hunter’s Daughter. When they found the mound of buffalo below the cliff, the father, who was in fact a fine tracker as well as a skilled hunter, looked at his daughter’s footprints in the dust.
“She’s gone off with a buffalo, he said. I shall follow them and bring her back.”
So Hunter walked out upon the plains, with only his bow and arrows as companions. He walked and walked a great distance until he was so tired that he had to sit down to rest beside a buffalo wallow.
Along came Magpie and sat down beside him.
Hunter spoke to Magpie in a respectful tone, “O knowledgeable bird, has my daughter been stolen from me by a buffalo? Have you seen them? Can you tell me where they have gone?”
Magpie replied with understanding, “Yes, I have seen them pass this way. They are resting just over this hill.”
“Well,” said Hunter, would you kindly take my daughter a message for me? Will you tell her I am here just over the hill?”
So Magpie flew to where Large Buffalo lay asleep amidst his relatives in the dry prairie grass. He hopped over to where Hunter’s Daughter was quilling moccasins, as she sat dutifully beside her sleeping husband. “Your father is waiting for you on the other side of the hill,” whispered Magpie to the maiden.
“Oh, this is very dangerous,” she told him. These buffalo are not friendly to us and they might try to hurt my father if he should come this way. Please tell him to wait for me and I will try to slip away to see him.”
Just then her husband, Large Buffalo, awoke and took off his horn. “Go bring me a drink from the wallow just over this hill,” said her husband.
So she took the horn in her hand and walked very casually over the hill.
Her father motioned silently for her to come with him, as he bent into a low crouch in the grass. “No,” she whispered. The buffalo are angry with our people who have killed their people. They will run after us and trample us into the dirt. I will go back and see what I can do to soothe their feelings.”
And so Hunter’s daughter took the horn of water back to her husband who gave a loud snort when he took a drink. The snort turned into a bellow and all of the buffalo got up in alarm. They all put their tails in the air and danced a buffalo dance over the hill, trampling the poor man to pieces who was still waiting for his daughter near the buffalo wallow.
His daughter sat down on the edge of the wallow and broke into tears.
“Why are you crying?” said her buffalo husband.
“You have killed my father and I am a prisoner, besides,” she sobbed.
“Well, what of my people?” her husband replied. We have given our children, our parents and some of our wives up to your relatives in exchange for your presence among us. A deal is a deal.”
But after some consideration of her feelings, Large Buffalo knelt down beside her and said to her, “If you can bring your father back to life again, we will let him take you back home to your people.”
So Hunter’s Daughter started to sing a little song. “Magpie, Magpie help me find some piece of my father which I can mend back whole again.”
Magpie appeared and sat down in front of her with his head cocked to the side.
“Magpie, Magpie, please see what you can find,” she sang softly to the wind which bent the grasses slightly apart. Magpie cocked his head to the side and looked carefully within the layered folds of the grasses as the wind sighed again. Quickly he picked out a piece of her father that had been hidden there, a little bit of bone.
“That will be enough to do the trick,” said Hunter’s Daughter, as she put the bone on the ground and covered it with her blanket.
And then she started to sing a reviving song that had the power to bring injured people back to the land of the living. Quietly she sang the song that her grandmother had taught her. After a few melodious passages, there was a lump under the blanket. She and Magpie looked under the blanket and could see a man, but the man was not breathing. He lay cold as stone. So Hunter’s Daughter continued to sing, a little softer, and a little softer, so as not to startle her father as he began to move. When he stood up, alive and strong, the buffalo people were amazed. They said to Hunter’s Daughter, “Will you sing this song for us after every hunt? We will teach your people the buffalo dance, so that whenever you dance before the hunt, you will be assured a good result. Then you will sing this song for us, and we will all come back to live again.”
Apache: How the Buffalo Were Released on Earth
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In the first days a powerful being named Humpback owned all the buffalo. He kept them in a corral in the mountains north of San Juan, where he lived with his young son. Not one buffalo would Humpback release for the people on earth, nor would he share any meat with those who lived near him.
Coyote decided that something should be done to release the buffalo from Humpback’s corral. He called the people to a council. “Humpback will not give us any buffalo,” Coyote said. “Let us all go over to his corral and make a plan to release them.”
They camped in the mountains near Humpback’s place, and after dark they made a careful inspection of his buffalo enclosure. The stone walls were too high to climb, and the only entrance was through the back door of Humpback’s house.
After four days Coyote summoned the people to another council, and asked them to offer suggestions for releasing the buffalo. “There is no way,” said one man. “To release the buffalo we must go into Humpback’s house, and he is too powerful a being for us to do that.”
“I have a plan,” Coyote said. “For four days we have secretly watched Humpback and his young son go about their daily activities. Have you not observed that the boy does not own a pet of any kind?”
The people did not understand what this had to do with releasing the buffalo, but they knew that Coyote was a great schemer and they waited for him to explain. “I shall change myself into a killdeer,” Coyote said. “In the morning when Humpback’s son goes down to the spring to get water, he will find a killdeer with a broken wing. He will want this bird for a pet and will take it back into the house. Once I am in the house I can fly into the corral, and the cries of a killdeer will frighten the buffalo into a stampede. They will come charging out through Humpback’s house and be released upon the earth.”
The people thought this was a good plan, and the next Morning when Humpback’s son came down the path to the spring he found a killdeer with a crippled wing. As Coyote had foreseen, the boy picked up the bird and carried it into the house.
“Look here,” the boy cried. “This is a very good bird!”
“It is good for nothing!” Humpback shouted. “All the birds and animals and people are rascals and schemers.” Above his fierce nose Humpback wore a blue mask, and through its slits his eyes glittered. His basket headdress was shaped like a cloud and was painted black with a zig-zag streak of yellow to represent lightning. Buffalo horns protruded from the sides.
“It is a very good bird,” the boy repeated.
“Take it back where you found it!” roared Humpback, and his frightened son did as he was told.
As soon as the killdeer was released it returned to where the people were camped and changed back to Coyote. “I have failed,” he said, “but that makes no difference. I will try again in the morning. Perhaps a small animal will be better than a bird.”
The next morning when Humpback’s son went to the spring, he found a small dog there, lapping at the water. The boy picked up the dog at once and hurried back into the house. “Look here!” he cried. “What a nice pet I have.”
“How foolish you are, boy!” Humpback growled. “A dog is good for nothing. I’ll kill it with my club.”
The boy held tight to the dog, and started to run away crying.
“Oh, very well,” Humpback said. “But first let me test that animal to make certain it is a dog. All animals in the world are schemers.” He took a coal of fire from the hearth and brought it closer and closer to the dog’s eyes until it gave three rapid barks. “It is a real dog,” Humpback declared. “You may keep it in the buffalo corral, but not in the house.”
This of course was exactly what Coyote wanted. As soon as darkness fell and Humpback and his son went to sleep, Coyote opened the back door of the house. Then he ran among the buffalo, barking as loud as he could. The buffalo were badly frightened because they had never before heard a dog bark. When Coyote ran nipping at their heels, they stampeded toward Humpback’s house and entered the rear door. The pounding of their hooves awakened Humpback, and although he jumped out of bed and tried to stop them, the buffalo smashed down his front door and escaped.
After the last of the shaggy animals had galloped away, Humpback’s son could not find his small dog. “Where is my pet?” he cried. “Where is my little dog?”
“That was no dog,” Humpback said sadly. “That was Coyote the Trickster. He has turned loose all our buffalo.”
Thus it was that the buffalo were released to scatter over all the earth.
Once upon a time, when the Field-Mouse was out
gathering wild beans for the winter, his neighbor, the
Buffalo, came down to graze in the meadow. This the
little Mouse did not like, for he knew that the other
would mow down all the long grass with his prickly
tongue, and there would be no place in which to hide.
He made up his mind to offer battle like a man.
“Ho, Friend Buffalo, I challenge you to a fight! “he
exclaimed in a small, squeaking voice.
The Buffalo paid no attention, thinking it only a joke.
The Mouse angrily repeated the challenge, and still his
enemy went on quietly grazing. Then the little Mouse
laughed with contempt as he offered his defiance. The
Buffalo at last looked at him and replied carelessly:
“You had better keep still, little one, or I shall come
over there and step on you, and there will be nothing
left! “
“You can’t do it! “replied the Mouse.
“I tell you to keep still,”insisted the Buffalo, who was
getting angry. “If you speak to me again, I shall
certainly come and put an end to you! “
“I dare you to do it! “said the Mouse, provoking him.
Thereupon the other rushed upon him. He trampled thc
grass clumsily and tore up the earth with his front hoofs.
When he had ended, he looked for the Mouse, but he
could not see him anywhere.
“I told you I would step on you, and there would be
nothing left! “he muttered.
Just then he felt a scratching inside his right ear. He
shook his head as hard as he could, and twitched his
ears back and forth. The gnawing went deeper and
deeper until he was half wild with the pain. He pawed
with his hoofs and tore up the sod with his horns.
Bellowing madly, he ran as fast as he could, first straight
forward and then in circles, but at last he stopped and
stood trembling. Then the Mouse jumped out of his ear,
and said:
“Will you know now that I am master? “
“No! “bellowed the Buffalo, and again he started toward
the Mouse, as if to trample him under his feet. The little
fellow was nowhere to be seen, but in a minute the
Buffalo felt him in the other ear. Once more he became
wild with pain, and ran here and there over the prairie,
at times leaping high in the air. At last he fell to the
ground and lay quite still. The Mouse came out of his
ear, and stood proudly upon his dead body.
“Eho! “said he, “I have killed the greatest of all beasts.
This will show to all that I am master! “
Standing upon the body of the dead Buffalo, he called
loudly for a knife with which to dress his game.
In another part of the meadow, Red Fox, very hungry,
was hunting mice for his breakfast. He saw one and
jumped upon him with all four feet, but the little Mouse
got away, and he was terribly disappointed.
All at once he thought he heard a distant call: “Bring a
knife! Bring a knife ! “
When the second call came, Red Fox started in the
direction of the sound. At the first knoll he stopped and
listened, but hearing nothing more, he was about to go
back. Just then he heard the call plainly, but in a very
thin voice, “Bring a knife!”Red Fox immediately set out
again and ran as fast as he could.
By and by he came upon the huge body of the Buffalo
lying upon the ground. The little Mouse still stood upon
the body.
“I want you to dress this Buffalo for me and I will give
you some of the meat,”commanded the Mouse.
“Thank you, my friend, I shall be glad to do this for
you,”he replied, politely.
The Fox dressed the Buffalo, while the Mouse sat upon
a mound near by, looking on and giving his orders. “You
must cut the meat into small pieces,” he said to the Fox.
When the Fox had finished his work, the Mouse paid
him with a small piece of liver. He swallowed it quickly
and smacked his lips.
“Please, may I have another piece?” he asked quite
humbly.
“Why, I gave you a very large piece! How greedy you
are!”exclaimed the Mouse. “You may have some of the
blood clots,”he sneered. So the poor Fox took the blood
clots and even licked off the grass. He was really very
hungry.
“Please may I take home a piece of the meat?”he
begged. “I have six little folks at home, and there is
nothing for them to eat.”
“You can take the four feet of the Buffalo. That ought
to be enough for all of you!”
“Hi, hi! Thank you, thank you!” said the Fox. “But,
Mouse, I have a wife also, and we have had bad luck in
hunting. We are almost starved. Can’t you spare me a
little more?”
“Why,”declared the Mouse, “I have already overpaid
you for the little work you have done. However, you
can take the head, too!”
Thereupon the Fox jumped upon the Mouse, who gave
one faint squeak and disappeared.
If you are proud and selfish you will lose all in the end.
Why Opossum has a Pouch
(Koasati Tribe)
retold by
S. E. Schlosser
One evening, Opossum was playing in a field with her babies when Big Bat came swooping down and grabbed all of the little ones and carried them away. Opossum shouted and begged for Bat to bring her babies back to her, but he would not. Bat put the little opossums into a deep hole in the rock and watched over them there.
Opossum walked around and around the forest, crying for her babies. When Wolf heard her wails, he came to her and asked what was wrong. “Big Bat has taken my babies from me and he will not give them back,” she told him. “I will get them for you,” Wolf said. “if you show me where they are.” So Opossum showed Wolf the deep hole in the rock where Bat watched over her babies. Wolf bravely walked into the darkness. But a moment later she heard him cursing, and then he came running back outside saying, “I am sorry, but I cannot retrieve your babies.” So Opossum kept walking around and around the forest, crying for her babies. When Rabbit heard her wails, he came to her and asked what was wrong. “Big Bat has taken my babies from me and he will not give them back,” she told him. “I will get them for you,” Rabbit said. “if you show me where they are.” So Opossum showed Rabbit the deep hole in the rock where Bat watched over her babies. Rabbit boldly walked into the darkness. But a moment later she heard him cursing, and then he came running back outside saying, “I am sorry, but I cannot retrieve your babies.” Opossum was frantic now. Brave Wolf and Bold Rabbit had been unable to retrieve her babies. She walked around and around the forest, crying hysterically for her babies. When Highland-Terrapin heard her wails, he came to her and asked what was wrong. “Big Bat has taken my babies from me and he will not give them back,” she told him. “I will get them for you,” Highland-Terrapin said. “if you show me where they are.” Opossum showed Highland-Terrapin the deep hole in the rock where Bat watched over her babies. Highland-Terrapin carefully walked into the darkness. A moment later she heard him cursing. Big Bat had thrown hot ashes down in the path in front of him, burning his large flat feet. But Highland Terrapin kept going in spite of the pain. He could see the little opossums huddled together a few paces away. They were crying for their mother. Highland-Terrapin saw Big Bat hovering above them, and he scolded Bat for stealing the babies from their mother. Highland-Terrapin picked up the little opossums and carried them out of the deep, dark hole. Big Bat dove at him a few times, but he kept bouncing off the terrapin’s hard shell before he could reach the babies. Finally, Bat gave up and flew away. Highland-Terrapin cut a hole in the belly of the happy Opossum mama and placed her babies inside it. “You keep your babies in there until they stop nursing,” he told her. “When they no longer need milk to drink, you can let them out.” From that day onward, Opossum mamas have carried their little babies in a pouch until they are old enough to eat on their own.
Windigo
Ojibwa First Nation
retold by
S. E. Schlosser
The storm lasted so long that they thought they would starve. Finally, when the wind and swirling snow had died away to just a memory, the father, who was a brave warrior, ventured outside. The next storm was already on the horizon, but if food was not found soon, the family would starve.
Keeping his knife and spear close, he ventured out upon the most-frequently used game trail, watching intently for some sign, in the newly-fallen snow, of animal footprints or movement of any kind. The forest lay deep and oddly silent under its gleaming coating of ice and snow. Every creature of sense lay deep within its burrow and slept. Still, the warrior hunted, knowing how desperate his family had become.
As he moved through the eerie stillness, broken only by the soft caress of the wind, he heard a strange hissing noise. It came from everywhere and nowhere at once. The warrior stopped, his heart pounding. That was when he saw the blood-soaked footprints appearing on the path in front of him. He gripped his knife tightly, knowing that somewhere, watching him, was a Windigo.
He had learned about the Windigo at his father’s knee. It was a large creature, as tall as a tree, with a lipless mouth and jagged teeth. Its breath was a strange hiss, its footprints full of blood, and it ate any man, woman or child who ventured into its territory. And those were the lucky ones. Sometimes, the Windigo chose to possess a person instead, and then the luckless individual became a Windigo himself, hunting down those he had once loved and feasting upon their flesh.
The warrior knew he would have just one chance to prevail over the Windigo. After that, he would die. Or… the thought was too terrible to complete.
Slowly, he backed away from the bloody footprints, listening to the hissing sound. Was it stronger in one direction? He gripped spear in one hand, knife in the other. Then the snowbank to his left erupted as a creature as tall as a tree leapt out at him. He dove to one side, rolling into the snow so that his clothing was covered and he became hard to see in the gray twilight of the approaching storm.
The Windigo whirled its massive frame and the warrior threw the spear. It struck the creature’s chest, but the Windigo just shook it off as if it were a toy. The warrior crouched behind a small tree as the creature searched the torn-up snow for a trace of him. Perhaps one more chance.
The Windigo loomed over his hiding place, its sharp eyes seeing the outline of him against the tree. It bend down, long arms reaching. The warrior leapt forward as if to embrace the creature and thrust his knife into its fathomless black eye. The Windigo howled in pain as the blade of the knife sliced into its brain cavity. It tried to pull him off of its chest, but the warrior clung to the creature, stabbing it again and again in the eyes, the head.
The Windigo collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely, almost crushing the warrior beneath its bulk. He pulled himself loose and stared at the creature, which blended in with its white surroundings so well that he would not have seen it save for the blood pouring from its eyes and ears and scalp. Then the outline of the creature grew misty and it vanished, leaving only a pool of blood to indicate where it had fallen.
Shaken, the warrior, heart pounding with fear and fatigue, turned for home. He was weakened by lack of food, but knew that the storm would break soon and he would die if he did not seek shelter.
At the edge of the wood, he found himself face to face with a red fox. It was a fat old creature, its muzzle lined with gray. The creature stood still, as if it had been brought to him as a reward for killing the Windigo. With a prayer of thanksgiving, the warrior killed the fox and took it home to his starving family. The meat lasted for many days, until the final storm had blown itself out and the warrior could safely hunt once more.
Crow Brings the Daylight
An Inuit Myth
retold by
S. E. Schlosser
Long, long ago, when the world was still new, the Inuit lived in darkness in their home in the fastness of the north. They had never heard of daylight, and when it was first explained to them by Crow, who traveled back and forth between the northlands and the south, they did not believe him. But many of the younger folk were fascinated by the story of the light that gilded the lands to the south. They made Crow repeat his tales until they knew them by heart. “Imagine how far and how long we could hunt,” they told one another. “Yes, and see the polar bear before it attacks,” others agreed. Soon the yearning for daylight was so strong that the Inuit people begged Crow to bring it to them. Crow shook his head. “I am too old,” he told them. “The daylight is very far away. I can no longer go so far.” But the pleadings of the people made him reconsider, and finally he agreed to make the long journey to the south. Crow flew for many miles through the endless dark of the north. He grew weary many times, and almost turned back. But at last he saw a rim of light at the very edge of horizon and knew that the daylight was close. Crow strained his wings and flew with all his might. Suddenly, the daylight world burst upon him with all its glory and brilliance. The endless shades of color and the many shapes and forms surrounding him made Crow stare and stare. He flapped down to a tree and rested himself, exhausted by his long journey. Above him, the sky was an endless blue, the clouds fluffy and white. Crow could not get enough of the wonderful scene. Eventually Crow lowered his gaze and realized that he was near a village that lay beside a wide river. As he watched, a beautiful girl came to the river near the tree in which he perched. She dipped a large bucket into the icy waters of the river and then turned to make her way back to the village. Crow turned himself into a tiny speck of dust and drifted down towards the girl as she passed beneath his tree. He settled into her fur cloak and watched carefully as she returned to the snow lodge of her father, who was the chief of the village people. It was warm and cozy inside the lodge. Crow looked around him and spotted a box that glowed around the edges. Daylight, he thought. On the floor, a little boy was playing contentedly. The speck of dust that was Crow drifted away from the girl and floated into the ear of the little boy. Immediately the child sat up and rubbed at his ear, which was irritated by the strange speck. He started to cry, and the chief, who was a doting grandfather, came running into the snow lodge to see what was wrong. “Why are you crying?” the chief asked, kneeling beside the child. Inside the little boy’s ear, Crow whispered: “You want to play with a ball of daylight.” The little boy rubbed at his ear and then repeated Crow’s words. The chief sent his daughter to the glowing box in the corner. She brought it to her father, who removed a glowing ball, tied it with a string, and gave it to the little boy. He rubbed his ear thoughtfully before taking the ball. It was full of light and shadow, color and form. The child laughed happily, tugging at the string and watching the ball bounce. Then Crow scratched the inside of his ear again and the little boy gasped and cried. “Don’t cry, little one,” said the doting grandfather anxiously. “Tell me what is wrong.” Inside the boy’s ear, Crow whispered: “You want to go outside to play.” The boy rubbed at his ear and then repeated Crow’s words to his grandfather. Immediately, the chief lifted up the small child and carried him outside, followed by his worried mother. As soon as they were free of the snow lodge, Crow swooped out of the child’s ear and resumed his natural form. He dove toward the little boy’s hand and grabbed the string from him. Then he rose up and up into the endless blue sky, the ball of daylight sailing along behind him. In the far north, the Inuit saw a spark of light coming toward them through the darkness. It grew brighter and brighter, until they could see Crow flapping his wings as he flew toward them. The people gasped and pointed and called in delight. The Crow dropped the ball, and it shattered upon the ground, releasing the daylight so that it exploded up and out, illuminating every dark place and chasing away every shadow. The sky grew bright and turned blue. The dark mountains took on color and light and form. The snow and ice sparkled so brightly that the Inuit had to shade their eyes. The people laughed and cried and exclaimed over their good fortune. But Crow told them that the daylight would not last forever. He had only obtained one ball of daylight from the people of the south, and it would need to rest for six months every year to regain its strength. During that six month period, the darkness would return. The people said: “Half a year of daylight is enough. Before you brought the daylight, we lived our whole life in darkness!” Then they thanked Crow over and over again. To this day, the Inuit live for half a year in darkness and half a year in daylight. And they are always kind to Crow, for it was he who brought them the light.
Coyote and Wishpoosh
(Chinook)
retold by
S. E. Schlosser
Now Wishpoosh the monster beaver lived in the beautiful Lake Cle-el-lum which was full of fish. Every day, the animal people would come to the lake, wanting to catch some fish, but Wishpoosh the giant beaver drove them away with many threats and great splashing. If they refused to leave, Wishpoosh would kill the animal people by dragging them deep into the lake so that they drowned.
Coyote was very upset at Wishpoosh for the way he treated the animal people. Coyote decided that he would kill the monster beaver and so he went to Lake Cle-el-lum with his spear tied to his wrist and started to fish. As soon as Wishpoosh saw this upstart person invading his territory, the giant beaver attacked. Coyote threw the spear and it pierced the beaver. Immediately, Wishpoosh dove to the bottom of the lake, dragging Coyote with him. Well, Coyote and Wishpoosh wrestled and tugged and fought each other at the bottom of the lake until the sides gave way and all the water rushed out, pouring out over the mountains and through the canyons until it collected in Kittitas Valley and formed another, larger lake. Coyote and Wishpoosh burst forth into the new lake, shouting and wrestling and fighting each other with renewed vigor until the second lake gave way and the water rushed out, joining in with the waters of several rivers to form a massive lake at Toppenish. Wishpoosh the monster beaver would not give up the fight. He bit and clawed at Coyote and tried to drown him in the massive lake. Coyote fought back fiercely, and at last the massive lake gave way, the water roared down into the meeting place of the Columbia, the Yakima, and the Snake, where it dammed up into a lake so huge none has ever seen its like before or since. Coyote and Wishpoosh dragged at each other, pulling and tugging and ripping and biting until the dam gave way and a huge wave of water swept down the Columbia River towards the sea. Coyote and Wishpoosh were tumbled over and over again as they were swept down river in the mighty wave of water. Coyote grabbed bushes and rocks and trees, trying to pull himself out of the massive wave. By these efforts was the Columbia Gorge was formed. But Coyote could not pull himself out of the great wave and so he tumbled after Wishpoosh, all the way to the bitter waters at the mouth of the river. Wishpoosh was furious. He was determined to beat this upstart Coyote who had driven him from his beautiful lake. The giant beaver swept all the salmon before him and ate them in one gulp to increase his strength. Then he swam out to sea with Coyote in pursuit. The monster beaver threw his great arms around a whale and swallowed it whole. Coyote was frightened by this demonstration of the monster beaver’s strength. But he was the most cunning of all the animals, and he came up with a plan. Turning himself into a tree branch, Coyote drifted among the fish until Wishpoosh swallowed him. Returning to his natural form, Coyote took a knife and cut the sinews inside the giant beaver. Wishpoosh gave a great cry and then perished. Coyote was tired after his long fight with the monster beaver. He called to his friend Muskrat, who helped drag the body of Wishpoosh to shore. Coyote and Muskrat cut up the giant beaver and threw the pieces up over the land, thus creating the tribes of men. The Nez Perce were created from the head of the giant beaver, to make them great in council. The Cayuses were created from the massive arms of Wishpoosh, in order that they might be strong and powerful with the war club and the bow. From the beaver’s ribs, Coyote made the Yakimas and from the belly the Chinooks. To make the Klickitats, Coyote used the beaver’s legs, so that they would become famous for their skill in running. With the leftover skin and blood, he made the Snake River Indians who thrived on war and blood. Thus were the tribes created, and Coyote returned up the mighty Columbia River to rest from his efforts. But in his weariness, Coyote did not notice that the coastal tribes had been created without mouths. The god Ecahni happened along just then and fixed the problem by assembling all of the coastal tribes and cutting mouths for them. Some he made too large and some he made crooked, just as a joke. This is why the mouths of the coastal tribes are not quite perfect.
